Will I harm my hair by using vinegar on it too often?

Question

I have fairly oily, and also fairly long, hair.  Normally, I wash it every other day (washing the scalp area, conditioning the rest), and that seems to be about the right amount to keep the top of my hair from getting too greasy, without making the bottom too dry.

Lately, however, I've been having problems with (oily) dandruff.  If I don't wash my hair basically every day, it gets itchy--by the second day, itchy enough that, if I'm not careful, I'll basically scratch my scalp raw.  Even after a day, it's starting to get a little itchy.

Vinegar (usually apple cider vinegar, mostly because it smells nicer) seems to keep the itchiness under control, as long as I use it every day (it's cheaper than dandruff shampoo, and it smells nicer).  I generally pour about a tablespoon on my scalp while I'm in the shower, kind of rub it in, then rinse it off after a few minutes.

I had hoped that, once I got the dandruff under control, I wouldn't have to keep using the vinegar all the time, but that proved not to be the case.

But I'm worried that the vinegar may be doing Bad Things to my hair or scalp if I *do* use it every day.

Am I worrying over nothing?  If it is a problem, is there anything I can readily do to counteract the problem, and/or any other dandruff remedy I can or should alternate with it to give my hair a break?  Any other info?

kelvin · Answer

why are you using that on your hair

Linda S · Answer

Vinegar is an acid and acids can irritate skin. The pH level of the acid is important, lower pH acids such as hyaluronic acid irritation isn't a problem because it's at the body's pH. Alpha and beta hydroxy acids come with warnings that a little is good, too much causes redness. Acid peels should be done some under medical supervision because their very high pH makes them burn. Vinegars are higher than skin's natural pH so they cause problems on thin sensitive skin such as the scalp. The biggest problem with home treatments such as apple cider vinegar is they don't address the root cause of dandruff and without taking care of the cause symptomatic treatment will never get rid of the problem.

Are you using a dandruff shampoo? Dandruff is caused by a fungus called malassezia. It eats the oil and dead skin cells on your scalp and when it grows out of control it will make your oil glands work overtime and produce even more oil to feed even more fungus. It's a vicious circle. You need to use something that kills the fungus. When the fungus is under control the dandruff and the oil will subside.

Vinegar does kill some fungus but usually it just makes fungus feel the equivalent of a fungal tummy ache. It gets better and it's back to work stimulating the oils glands to produce even more. You need a shampoo with an active medical grade ingredient and you must use it as frequently as needed to get the oil and fungus under control.

The zinc in head and shoulders works well, it kills fungus, cleans away flakes and cleans away oil. For severe dandruff the stronger Nizoral kills fungus on contact and is useful for bringing severe infections under control. If dandruff shampoos don't work then you don't have dandruff, you have one of several other skin problems that affect the scalp. A coal tar shampoo formulation such as TGel works for more than dandruff. You can also ask at the pharmacy for stronger medical grade treatments. Don't worry, these things are not toxic for you and they smell like shampoo, not coal.

A trip to a dermatologist can also help. There are prescription strength shampoos and leave in products for scalp issues that work quickly and leave hair looking amazing. If over the counter stuff doesn't help then do visit a doctor. Remember that your scalp and hair are part of the body's largest organ, the skin. When organs aren't working then medically based treatments are needed.

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Will I harm my hair by using vinegar on it too often?

2 Answers